Los Angeles Chargers WR Ladd McConkey was the 34th pick in April and slides into an interesting role for fantasy football managers with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams (combined 7.9 catches per game last season) no longer on the team.
McConkey wasn’t asked to carry a high usage rate at Georgia during his three collegiate seasons (119 receptions, though he did battle through injuries last season), but that figures to change in short order. That development could turn him into a PPR asset from the jump.
Should You Draft Ladd McConkey in 2024?
The role appears to be a favorable one. The Chargers have a franchise quarterback in hand, and the two other primary threats for targets at the WR position have 181 career receptions on their NFL résumés.
That said, the upside of L.A.’s offense is unknown with Jim Harbaugh taking over as head coach this offseason. We haven’t seen Harbaugh on a professional sideline for a decade, and the last time he was, his San Francisco 49ers ranked 25th in scoring and 30th in passing yards.
At cost, I’m tempted to bet on his talent as opposed to against his situation. Pro Football Network Draft Analyst Ian Cummings is one of the best in the scouting game and had this to say about McConkey entering the draft:
- Energized athlete with near-elite quickness, foot speed, and stop-and-start ability.
- Turbocharged technician with the throttle control and cut flexibility to put DBs on strings.
Ashes to ashes,
Funk to funky,
You just got smoked,
By Ladd McConkey— College Football Network (@CFN365)
That’s an optimistic profile for a wide receiver who will have every opportunity to see as many targets as he can handle. McConkey is currently being drafted outside of the top 35 at the position, landing him in a tier with Jordan Addison, Christian Watson, and Jaxon-Smith Njigba.
Yes, all of those receivers have NFL reps under their belt. And yes, all of them carry at least as much draft capital as McConkey. But they all have serious red flags to consider.
- Addison/Smith-Njigba: Alpha WR in hand, quality of targets is a question
- Watson: Hamstring injuries and one of the deeper pass-catching corps
I’m generally skeptical about reading too far into offseason interviews, but Justin Herbert’s words about his newest weapon stuck with me.
“He’s just picked up the offense so easily. It’s like he’s been a four- or five-year vet. He understands the game.”
That’s impressive. So many summer reports focus on raw athletic abilities, but for a franchise QB to praise the intelligence of a receiver whose game will be based on timing has my attention.
My podcast partner in crime Derek Tate is more involved on the college side of things than I am, and he can’t stop moving McConkey up his rankings. I can’t get him inside my top 30 the way Tate has, but he watches as much film as anyone, so such confidence is worth noting.
My stance on the Bolts’ rookie will be one of ADP price sensitivity. I have a hard time thinking that I won’t be taking the Kansas City Chiefs in this range ahead of him (Rashee Rice situation pending). Plus, I don’t think there’s a chance I get McConkey into the range of receivers like Christian Kirk/Jayden Reed, who have flashed at this level and enter the season with the WR1 label.
That said, I have no issue taking McConkey over the aforementioned options in Addison, Watson, and Smith-Njigba. I have some minor ceiling concerns about McConkey, but he projects to have the type of floor that few rookies have. There’s a place inside the middle third of your draft for such a player.
